Top Ten Tuesday (4)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and it features the top ten books that comes to your mind under a certain category announced each week. This week's category is:

Top Ten Books You'd Like to See Made Into a Movie

Can I say that this is possibly the best TTT yet?! Let's get started!

1. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - Yes, yes, YES!!! This is self-explanatory! Some people dislike this book series, but you can't argue that it'd be amazing to see Tally's world come to life on the big screen! Skintennas, floating swimming pools, HOVERBOARDS?! And the good thing is, they are making it into a movie in the near future! Squeeee. Can't wait! Hopefully they don't screw up the cast!

2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - This one is also self-explanatory, and is of course already set to be produced later this year!!! I can't wait until November 2013! :DD I really want to see how they portray Joanna without it being rated R, lol.

3. The Fault In Our Stars by John Green - They are also in the process of beginning to produce this! I CANNOT wait!! At first, I had thought to myself "They better not make this into a movie... it would ruin my portrayal of the one of my most favoritest books ever!!", but now I'm super stoked to see how it all plays out, especially for a certain Mr. Van Houten...!!

4. The Giver by Lois Lowry - I'm not sure if this is already a movie... but oh well! Although I'm not the biggest fan of this book, I still really want to see it on the big screen! :)

5. Choker by Elizabeth Woods - This book is intense and very very creepy. With all the hallucinations and the grotesque happenings in this book, I would really like to see how it turns out in a movie!

6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher - This book's film adaptation is actually in the makes right now (With Selena Gomez rumored to play Hannah!). This book is heart-rendering and I would probably have to bring a box of tissues with me to the theaters!

7. Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake - I just finished this book, and it was very horrifying and like, creeptastic. I would really really really love to see Anna in movie form!! That would be amazing. And I really want to see Carmel as well. :)

8. The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch - I loved the world building in this book, with all of its I-Am-Legend-y glory. I would really love to see Stephen and Jen's chemistry on-screen. Would be very excited if I heard this was becoming a movie! :)

9. Lark by Tracey Porter - This book/novella is very ... cold. Not scary, but very ... bitter. Bittersweet, and serene in a way. It wouldn't be the most action-packed movie, but I would still really love to see it in movie form.

10. Now and Zen by Linda Gerber - I kind of ran out of books to mention at this point, but I still somewhat want to see this on-screen. I want to see how they portray the MC Nori, in Japan. I would really like to see the Japanese culture in the movie!

Please comment below and share what you thought about this post! I also would love to see your picks!!

Don't forget to join my Children's Book Giveaway!:

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New Books to Read!!

Hey Everyone, check out what I got today! I finally went to the library! Excited to dive in :)

I'm also currently obsessed with The Wanted (British band, hehe ^^)

Hope you all have a booktastic week! Anna Dressed in Blood Review coming up this week!!

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The Homecoming by Cynthia Voight - Review/Discussion

Homecoming by Cynthia VoigtPublisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: August 1, 2002 (First published March 12, 1977)
Source: Bought at Borders
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book for my English book report. I was looking for a good book to do a report on and I read the back of the book (the summary, I mean) and I felt so sorry for the children. It almost made me cry, and I immediately chose this book. At some points I did start crying (lightly). This is a wonderful book, and it did have a happy ending. I'm going to start reading the 2nd book soon, I can't wait. Here is my essay, if you want to see it:

*SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS*

In The Homecoming, a book written by Cynthia Voigt, four siblings are abandoned by their mother as a result of the constant stress she was being put under as a single parent. Dicey, the oldest and authoritative sibling of the Tillerman children, wants the family to always stay together, no matter what. Because of this, Dicey does not call the police, since she fears that they will be separated into different foster homes. The only place they can go to is their Aunt Cilla’s house. Thinking that their mother will be there, the children begin their long and tiring journey, struggling to survive as they walk from Massachusetts all the way to Connecticut. They must sleep outside, work for money, and use their knowledge of survival skills, but they also find help along the way.

Stewart, a college student that the Tillermans meet in New Haven, helps them by driving them to Bridgeport. He drops them off in front of Aunt Cilla’s house. They thank him, then anxiously walk up the front concrete steps to knock on the door. There is no response, so the children sit down on the steps, waiting for her to return. They search the streets, which are filled with people coming home from an exhausting day at work. All the children, except for Dicey, believe that their mother has come to Aunt Cilla’s house, and they are eager to see her again. Dicey knows for a fact that she is not here. “I think Momma got so worried about so many things, about money and us, about what she could do to take care of us, about not being able to do anything to make things better…that she just quit,” she says (139).

Aunt Cilla had always sent the children Christmas cards every year, but they don’t even know what she looks like. They don’t know for a fact that she will want to take them in and care for them. In Dicey’s mind, this is their last chance. They have nowhere else to go, and if their aunt kicks them out, they will have to live on the streets until they grow up. This is a very pivotal scene in the book, because it decides the Tillermans’ future. The children try to reassure each other that everything will be fine. The younger ones are confused and need to feel safe. Although Dicey is a child herself, she is the only one who can protect them.

The children find out that Aunt Cilla passed away previously that year, and her daughter was living by herself in the house. Thinking that it was not the right home for them, the Tillermans find out where their grandmother lives and go to see her. She is reluctant at first to bring them in, but later she decides that she really does want them to live with her.

I would definitely recommend this book to a friend, because it shows many tough emotions, such as devotion, love, and strong willpower. It teaches a very valuable lesson: as long as you are determined, you can face any troubles that you encounter.

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In My Mailbox (4)

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by The Story Siren, which is used to interact with other bloggers about their upcoming reads.

I haven't read at all this week, so I'm really behind on my reading schedule! All of these books are for my SARC (Standalone Reading Challenge), so they are all standalones and 2012 releases :).

Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler

"Once upon a time, Hudson knew exactly what her future looked like. Then a betrayal changed her life, and knocked her dreams to the ground. Now she’s a girl who doesn’t believe in second chances... a girl who stays under the radar by baking cupcakes at her mom’s diner and obsessing over what might have been.

So when things start looking up and she has another shot at her dreams, Hudson is equal parts hopeful and terrified. Of course, this is also the moment a cute, sweet guy walks into her life... and starts serving up some seriously mixed signals. She’s got a lot on her plate, and for a girl who’s been burned before, risking it all is easier said than done.

It’s time for Hudson to ask herself what she really wants, and how much she’s willing to sacrifice to get it. Because in a place where opportunities are fleeting, she knows this chance may very well be her last..."

The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman

"It was like a nightmare, but there was no waking up. When the night began, Nora had two best friends and an embarrassingly storybook one true love. When it ended, she had nothing but blood on her hands and an echoing scream that stopped only when the tranquilizers pierced her veins and left her in the merciful dark.

But the next morning, it was all still true: Chris was dead. His girlfriend Adriane, Nora’s best friend, was catatonic. And Max, Nora’s sweet, smart, soft-spoken Prince Charming, was gone. He was also—according to the police, according to her parents, according to everyone—a murderer.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Nora follows the trail of blood, no matter where it leads. It ultimately brings her to the ancient streets of Prague, where she is drawn into a dark web of secret societies and shadowy conspirators, all driven by a mad desire to possess something that might not even exist. For buried in a centuries-old manuscript is the secret to ultimate knowledge and communion with the divine; it is said that he who controls the Lumen Dei controls the world. Unbeknownst to her, Nora now holds the crucial key to unlocking its secrets. Her night of blood is just one piece in a puzzle that spans continents and centuries. Solving it may be the only way she can save her own life."

Fracture by Megan Miranda

"Eleven minutes passed before Delaney Maxwell was pulled from the icy waters of a Maine lake by her best friend Decker Phillips. By then her heart had stopped beating. Her brain had stopped working. She was dead. And yet she somehow defied medical precedent to come back seemingly fine. Everyone wants Delaney to be all right, but she knows she's far from normal. Pulled by strange sensations she can't control or explain, Delaney finds herself drawn to the dying. Is her altered brain now predicting death, or causing it?

Then Delaney meets Troy Varga, who recently emerged from a coma with similar abilities. At first she's reassured to find someone who understands the strangeness of her new existence, but Delaney soon discovers that Troy's motives aren't quite what she thought. Is their gift a miracle, a freak of nature-or something much more frightening?

For fans of best-sellers like Before I Fall and If I Stay, this is a fascinating and heart-rending story about love and friendship and the fine line between life and death."

What's in your mailbox today? (: Comment below! Also, don't forget to check out my Children's Book Giveaway!

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Hipster Cinna Meme

Memes have been a growing trend on the internet this past year, and I found some cool Hipster Cinna ones to share with you guys! Scroll down to see some of them!

You can find many more here. Happy Sunday!

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"Wings" by Aprilynne Pike

Hello, everyone! "Wings" by Aprilynne Pike is now available to read for FREE on the HarperCollins website! It is in ereader format, and it's only up for a limited time!

Click here to start reading!

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Shelf Candy Saturday {1}

Shelf Candy Saturday is a weekly meme hosted by Steph from Five Alarm Book Reviews, where you feature a book cover that has recently caught your eye.

My pick this week is Haven by Kristi Cook.

This is not a new release; it was released February of last year.

"Violet McKenna thought she was just crazy when she had a vivid vision of her dad's murder. Her life started falling apart when her premonition came true. She's had flashes of other events too. The problem was nobody believed her until she found a new school: Winterhaven."

My Thoughts

I love this cover because of its simplicity. The yellow book with the purple butterfly is so simple but it's so, like, enchanting. I have never read this book before, but I'm pretty sure that the cover has a meaning and significance to it. I also lurv the font for "Haven"! I have a thing with curly and fancy fonts :).

What's your shelf candy this week? Comment below! Also, I have reached 50 followers! Thank you everyone for all of your support!! There will be a small giveaway as a token of my thanks this week. :) :) :)

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TGIF! Feature & Follow Friday {1}

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee of Parajunkee's View and Alison from Alison Can Read. This is a fun meme where bloggers can interact with one another through following and visiting each others' posts.

The two featured blogs this week are:

Little Read Riding Hood and Book That Thing

This week's question: "Have you had a character that disappointed you? One that you fell in love with and then “broke up” with later on in either the series or a stand-alone book? Tell us about him or her."

Okay well this is going to be boring - I can honestly say that I have never been disappointed with my favorite characters in any book. But I'm wary because Gale seems to be a common topic tonight, and he is my favorite from the Hunger Games (I've only read books 1 and 2, eek). I really don't want to dislike him ):.

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This week on The Bookish Poodle:

Review of Flawless (PLL #2) by Sara Shepard

Musing Mondays (1)

Review of Lark by Tracey Porter

Top Ten Tuesday (3)

Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Mini-Review of Protecting Marie by Kevin Henkes

Mini-Review of If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Wow, I posted so many reviews this week! I'm probably going to tone it down next week.

TGIF at GReads! - This feature is for Fridays to re-cap the week's posts & to propose a question for other bloggers to answer.

This week's question: "Reading Blues: We all get them from time to time. What helps you overcome those reading slumps when nothing seems to grab your attention?"

This is a good question! Sometimes when nothing seems to appeal to your mood (new or old books), there might not be anything you can do about it. It might just be the way you're feeling :b. So, if nothing seems to grab my attention, I would resort to my favorite book or one that I really really liked. Sometimes when you're stressed or whatever, re-reading a good book can help you relax. You don't really have to pay attention to every little detail, since you already read it before. :3 If I just overall don't feel like in a reading mood, I would watch a movie or go out running or something :).

What about you? How do you overcome the reading blues? Comment below!

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If I Stay by Gayle Forman - Mini Review

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Publisher: Speak
Release Date: April 9, 2009
Source: Grocery Store
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I saw this on the shelves at my local grocery store and I was amazed by the cover (it was the cover of the girl laying down). I looked at the summary and it seemed interesting, so I snatched it and began reading.

It was really sad! Basically, it is about a girl, Mia, who goes for a drive with her family one day. Something terrible happens, and the whole book zones in and out of memories of her life, and then what's going on in present time. Mia had such a great life, and now it's ruined. I don't want to spoil it for you, so I will leave it at that. I need to get my hands on Where She Went, the sequel.


I highly recommend this book for people who are fond of tear-jerkers or meaningful stories. This book will teach you to never take life and loved ones for granted.

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Protecting Marie by Kevin Henkes - Review

Protecting Marie by Kevin Henkes

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Release Date: October 2, 2007

Source: Store

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fanny is a 12 year old girl in Madison, Wisconsin. She had always dreamed of having a dog, and pleaded with her dad for a very long time to get her one. Finally, one day, her father shows up with a small puppy named Nellie, and Fanny instantly becomes attached to her. But Nellie kept ruining the furniture, the carpet, and Henry's (her dad's) art studio. On his last nerve, Henry decides to give Nellie away and Fanny is heartbroken for a very long time.

A few years later, with Fanny still touchy about the subject of dogs, Henry disappears for a day and comes back with a big old dog named Dinner. Fanny is cautious with getting to know Dinner, knowing that she is probably just setting herself up for disappointment in her father again. Henry promises not to give her away ever.

The title of this book, Protecting Marie, refers to a paper doll that Fanny had created when she was little, Queen Marie. Every week her father would have a "Stupid Hunt" with her to clean up her room and throw away things that were "Stupid". Fanny was terrified that Henry would find Marie and throw her away, so she had to find a new place to hide her for every Stupid Hunt. This at first confused me, because I thought that the dog should have been named Marie, but it was just a paper doll. I'm about 99.9% sure that this title is an analogy to an important concept in the book, but it's been a while since I read it, so I can't remember anything relating to the title.

I felt that I could really relate to this book in sooo many ways. Fanny's undying love for Dinner is truly remarkable. The ending is also a happy one, and it leaves the reader with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Dogs are always so loyal. ;)

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Waiting On Wednesday (2)

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you're eagerly anticipating.

The Glimpse by Claire Merle

Publication Date: June 7th, 2012

Once you've seen into the future, can you change your destiny?

"In a near future, society is segregated according to whether people are genetically disposed to mental illness. 17-year-old Ana has been living the privileged life of a Pure due to an error in her DNA test. When the authorities find out, she faces banishment from her safe Community, a fate only thwarted by the fact that she has already been promised to Pure-boy Jasper Taurell.

Jasper is from a rich and influential family and despite Ana’s condition, wants to be with her. The authorities grant Ana a tentative reprieve. If she is joined to Jasper before her 18th birthday, she may stay in the Community until her illness manifests. But if Jasper changes his mind, she will be cast out among the Crazies. As Ana’s joining ceremony and her birthday loom closer, she dares to hope she will be saved from the horror of the City and live a ‘normal’ life. But then Jasper disappears.

Led to believe Jasper has been taken by a strange sect the authorities will not intefere with, Ana sneaks out of her well-guarded Community to find him herself. Her search takes her through the underbelly of society and into the pits of the human soul. And as she delves deeper into the mystery of Jasper's abduction she uncovers some devastating truths that destroy everything she has grown up to believe, but she also learns to love as she has never loved before." - Goodreads summary

So, what was your guys' picks? Comment below with your links!

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Top Ten Tuesday (3)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, and it features the top ten books that comes to your mind under a certain category announced each week. This week's category is:

Top Ten All Time Favorite Characters in Books

Wow, this is a toughie. There's soooo many great characters in sooo many different books! Let's see if I can do this:

1. Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games - I think this one was a little bit obvious.

Katniss has strong willpower and determination. She is very

humble and practical, and although she does make mistakes, she is very loving and caring towards her family. She puts them in front of everything else, including her own self. She is an independent girl who can take care of herself, unlike someee characters we know in other YA books... (just kidding... maybe).

2. Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars - Augustus/"Gus" is so witty and charming. He really knows how to talk to a girl ;), and he is a very caring person. His humor had me laughing, but he is also very wise with words. He always knows the right thing to say.

3. Tally Youngblood from Uglies - At first Tally seemed dumb and just like everyone else in her society, whose only big wish was to become "pretty" and party all the time in New Pretty Town. But, as she makes her journey to the New Smoke, she finally comes to be a very independent and strong character. She eventually could make her own decisions and could think as a individual without anyone influencing her.

4. Gale Hawthorne from The Hunger Games - Lol, I'm preparing to get bread thrown at me from Peeta lovers, but I do think Gale is a special character in THG. I have not read Mockingjay yet, and my opinion about him might change after I do (my friends who have read MJ have told me that Gale makes a bad decision or something in it), but as a person who has only read books #1 and #2, I can say that I feel sorry for Gale. **SPOILERS** He has been best friends with Katniss for a long time, and they have a very trusting and strong bond. He has to stand back and watch this whole Katniss & Peeta thing go down, especially witnessing their engagement right after he professes his love to Katniss. Although Peeta is sweet, I've always been rooting for Gale since I first read THG.

5. Ben "Bloody Ben" Starling from Paper Towns - I did not really think this book was superb or anything, but the characters sure were. I loved Ben's honeybunny-ness and his sarcastic jokes and whatnot. He is part of the reason why I gave Paper Towns a higher rating in my review. :)

6. Hermione Granger from Harry Potter - Hermione is sooo smart and adorable in the earlier HP books, but, despite her early maturity, she also grows throughout the books, and we can witness her growth. She also had me laughing as I read what she thought and what she said.

7. Dicey Tillerman from The Homecoming - Most of you probably will not be familiar with Dicey, because the Homecoming is not the most popular book out there. Dicey and her three siblings were abandoned by their mother in a mall parking lot, and, being the oldest of the four children, Dicey has to take over the "mother" position for her brothers & sisters. She has to manage their food and plan how they are going to survive. That's not an easy thing to do, and Dicey made sure that her family was safe and sound.

8. Dumbledore from Harry Potter - One word: wisdom.

9. Aria Montgomery from Pretty Little Liars - On the show, Aria is made out to be very selfish and dependent on others (*cough*Ezra*cough*), which I did not really like. From the first two books that I have read, I found that her story is the most interesting to read, while it is the

least interesting on the show. Bad and serious things are happening in her life (family issues) and she has to handle all of her family problems while beings taunted by A. I think that this makes her a strong person to handle all of this well, or at least better than her brother.

10. Kendall Fletcher from Cryer's Cross - The main reason that I like Kendall is because of her OCD. I can totally relate to her need to make everything perfect. I don't have OCD, but I am a perfectionist, so everything has to be neat and tidy for me to be satisfied. I also feel sorry for her when her boyfriend disappears.

Well, that's it! I hope I did well. Comment below so I can check yours out! I'm really interested in seeing everyone else's picks this week. Happy Reading!! :)

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Lark by Tracey Porter - Review

Lark by Tracey Porter

Publisher: Harper Collins

Release Date: May 24, 2011

Source: Library

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"I was dead when I was alive, and I didn't even know it."

After 16-year-old Lark is murdered, she, her childhood best friend Eva, and Nyetta, a girl Lark used to babysit, find themselves facing hard truths about their lives and seeking a way to move on.

I saw some reviews on here where people said that this book was scary or creepy. I didn't really feel like it was either of those. :b I wasn't like freaked out or scared, but it was more of a mysterious curiosity for me.

Lark Austin is lured in by a man and is raped and stabbed and then left to die in the area's worst snowstorm of the year. But, she isn't really gone. I think that the author tried to depict her as a ghost, without really directly stating it. The logic here is that when girls are raped and left to die, like Lark was, they become trees unless someone is willing to see what happened to them. It doesn't make much sense, and most of the time I was like, "Huh?", but this book is very thought-provoking in a lot of ways.

The poetic prose featured in this book is outstanding. It almost sounds like it's a poem in some parts, which made the story all the more fascinating. The tone of the book is a little bit distant, since it's written in 3rd person. Most of the chapters are very short, some only 2-3 pages long, and each chapter alternates between the POV's of Lark (which could be said as in the past, before she was raped), and Eve and Nyetta (whose POV's are written after Lark is killed).

Eve is Lark's former best friend, who takes an interest in drawing and used to be on the swim team with Lark. They always went exploring together. Eve describes herself as being on "auto-pilot" after Lark's death. She shows no signs of grieving or mourning. Nyetta is a girl who Lark used to babysit, and Lark always taught Nyetta how to do gymnastic skills. Nyetta was so shocked and upset about Lark's death that she had to start regularly going to see a therapist.

One thing I didn't like about the book was that there are characters that are introduced but aren't really emphasized, but then they are brought up later in the book and I don't remember who they are. The characters aren't very round and their problems aren't emphasized, so they seem like trivial problems even if they were meant to be serious. I couldn't really relate to the characters and I didn't feel like I knew them.

Another negative aspect of the book was the plot, which is basically nonexistent. The important part already happened and there's no goal or mission. The book is just primarily about the two girls' response and how they cope with the loss. For some, this might be a turn off and some may not even finish it, because of the lack of rising action.

This book has a very dark mood. Like I said, it's not really scary, but it's just depressing. But if you think about it, why wouldn't it be depressing? A girl gets raped and killed. Of course it's going to be depressing! Anyhoo, despite it's short length, this book is very emotional and some people may even relate to it. It is a book that is not to be looked over or taken lightly. This is serious stuff here, and I thought it was wonderfully written. :)

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Musing Mondays (1)

Musing Mondays is hosted by Should Be Reading. Every week there is a new book related question, and you answer with a post on your blog with your thoughts on the topic/question.

Question: Other than working at a job, what is your biggest interruption to reading? What takes you away from your book(s)?

Answer: I am actually a student, so I don't really have a job, but school definitely interferes with my reading time. I have to attend it 8 hours a day, then work on homework 2 hours a day. That takes a lot of time away for me! Although this is a major interruption, I also have many more.

I am the kind of person who doesn't like specializing in one thing -- I like to try my hand at everything I think looks interesting. This means that aside from school, books aren't the only thing that is on my mind in my leisure time.

One of the other major things that occupies my time is running an Etsy shop. I make handmade bracelets and sell them on Etsy here. One bracelet takes up to 3 hours to make. Some people order multiple bracelets (one person even wanted 60 of them for her son's birthday party!), so this definitely takes away a lot of my time. I usually watch TV (I recently came up with an idea - I should listen to audio books while I make them!) because just sitting down doing the same knots over and over again gets really, REALLY boring.

Another thing that takes up a lot of my time is guitar. I started learning how to play the guitar in January 2011, and I take a private lesson once a week. I have taken a break from it in the past because of the start of school, and I am also on a break from it right now, due to, again, school and stress. I'm getting back to it in May so I really will have to juggle my time and make a good plan on how to divide my time.

These 3 things really take up a lot of my time, so I barely have time to read! That's why I only read 1-2 books a week, and also why I always have such a small IMM each week.

Post yours below so I can take a look at it!

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Flawless (PLL #2) by Sara Shepard - Review

Flawless by Sara Shepard

Publisher: HarperCollins

Release Date: March 15, 2007

Source: Own

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

“The sweetest smiles hold the darkest secrets...”

The story of the four Pretty Little Liars continues with the second installment, Flawless. Three years after Queen Bee Alison DiLaurentis goes missing, former best friends Aria, Emily, Hanna, and Spencer each receive mysterious and intimate text messages from an anonymous "A". After learning of what happened to Ali, the four girls, who were once icy strangers, slowly come together to try and decode who A is.

There were many parts of this book that were much more enthralling than in book one, which I mention in a review is very slow-paced. I recently realized that the first whole book is described in the first episode of the show. With this realization in mind, I find it hard to understand the thoughts of those who find the books much more fast-paced. However, the tempo of this book is much more acceptable, and it contains a wider variety of occurrences.

Each girl is dealing with her own personal problem throughout the book. For example, Ali knew at least one very dear secret about each of the girls that no one else knew about. It is that one secret or secrets that A taunts each of the girls with. Spoiler: (view spoiler)[Spencer stealing her sister's boyfriends, Hanna's eating disorder, Aria's father's unfaithfulness, and Emily's uncertainty about her sexuality. (hide spoiler)] The uniqueness of each of the girls keeps the reader interested in the story and it prevents the plot from becoming too boring.

So far, there are numerous, and very important, differences between the book and the show. It's pretty funny how almost everyone in the show look the exact opposite of how they are described in the book. For example, Emily is described as having red-blonde hair, Hanna having dark auburn hair, and Spencer having ash-blonde hair. Not only are the appearances of the characters polar opposites between book and show, but the situations in the girls' lives also slightly differ. Some of these differences include: a more detailed relationship between Spencer & Wren, Aria & Sean get together, and instead of being homophobic, Emily's mother appears to be racist.

My favorite part of this book was probably Emily and Toby's bond. I thought that was extremely heart-warming, and if you read the book, you will know what I mean when I say that the ending was absolutely depressing. I did not see it coming at all, not even from reading PLL forums on IMDB. I also loved Kate and Hanna's scene, and was starting to like Kate and thought things would be different in the book, but she has to go ahead and ruin everything like always.

All in all, I recommend this book series to fans of chick lit and drama. For readers who are wary to read it because they're afraid they'll be spoiled about A: don't worry. The book series can and should almost be treated as a different story entirely from the show. There are many details in the book that were not mentioned in the show, and when you think you are expecting something, something else happens! I will say that the one negative thing about this book is that it took me forever to read because some parts were flat out boring and it did not hold my attention long enough. However, in the end, it is worth reading through the boring parts because we get to experience a different world of PLL than the show.

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